On June 21, Sukanya Girish, a rescuer of street dogs in Bengaluru, found Jhansi lying on the road in JP Nagar. Jhansi’s intestines were popping out and the dog was in immense pain.
Jhansi was immediately rushed to Jeeva Veterinary Hospital in JP Nagar, where the doctors had to repair her intestines and close up the wound.
Two days before she was found in the horrifying condition, Jhansi was operated upon by the BBMP contractor for the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme, Bommanahalli Zone, Dr Gaddi and his team.
“The dog was operated on under the ABC programme and when she was brought to Jeeva, her intestines had come out; they were covered in mud and were also infected. This had led to parts of her intestines not receiving proper blood flow. We treated the dog and a part of the intestine was removed as it was infected. It was a severe case of infection and the dog was administered painkillers and antibiotics,” said Dr Nagesh Reddy, who treated Jhansi.
Soon, Jhansi, who appeared to be recuperating well, fell ill. The infection had spread through her intestine. “There was a pus formation and nothing could have been done at that point,” Dr Nagesh Reddy added.
Jhansi was then rushed to Cessna Pet Clinic in Indiranagar on Sunday morning, where she succumbed to her injuries.
According to Dr Nagesh Reddy, those who had performed the surgery on Jhansi at the Animal Birth Control centre funded by BBMP had either not performed the surgery properly or had not sutured the opening in the right way.
“These are the only two things which could have gone wrong. Also, currently, the private individuals or companies which are running the ABC centres keep the dogs for only three days – the day of the surgery, followed by two days of care. But that is not enough as the suture would not have healed and there are higher chances of the dogs scratching on the wounds and ripping the suture,” Dr Nagesh Reddy said.
Shockingly, another dog, Angel, was rescued in a similar condition on Saturday by animal rights activist Sanjana Madappa, who runs the shelter for abandoned dogs – CUPA.
Angel, too, had opened sutures with infected intestines which were covered in mud when she was rescued from under a car in HSR Layout.
She was taken to Cessna Pet Clinic and was administered treatment.
According to Dr Nagesh Reddy, another major problem and the reason for the horrifying condition of dogs is that the BBMP does not provide enough financial support to the ABC centres.
“These centres are run based on financial tenders. The lowest bidder gets to run the ABC clinic. BBMP currently offers Rs 1,000 per dog. This is not enough to maintain the centre, carry out the neutering operations and provide enough care for the dogs until recovery,” Dr Nagesh said.
Sources in the BBMP told TNM that the civic body had issued tenders to centres where some of the doctors were not adequately trained in the Animal Birth Control Programme, which clearly violates the guidelines prescribed by the Animal Welfare Board of India.
“There were many activists who had submitted petitions to the BBMP asking to shut down the ABC centres for a few weeks until the doctors were trained. But that proposal never saw the light of the day because the Joint Commissioner Dr G Anand had turned a blind eye to the issue,” the source added.
When TNM contacted Dr Anand, he said that these issues “take time to sort out” and that the BBMP would come up with a solution to the issue.
“What can be done now? The dog is dead now. We will find a solution to this, I’m sure. It will take time because tenders have already been issued,” Dr Anand said.